One Left Behind
by FemaleThunder
Summary: Jeff is missing and the boys try to find him, but they forget one very important thing. Their youngest brother. What happens when Alan becomes, potentially, fatally ill, and his brothers are too busy to notice him? Will they get to him in time, or will they say goodbye to another family member. TAG 2015. Prompt from Parimalik.


One left behind

 **Ages:**

 **Scott: 22  
John: 21  
Virgil: 19  
Gordon: 18  
Kayo: 16  
Alan: 14**

Alan sighed as he looked at the data on the holopad. He should be out with his brothers, looking for his father, not doing school work. He stood up and left the kitchen, going down to the den where he saw Brains sitting.

"Hey Brains, anything new?" He asked, sitting on the sofa and looking at the readouts in the middle of the den.

"N-nothing." Brains replied, not looking at the youngest Tracy.

"Where are they now?" He asked, not noticing that his brother's hologram had appeared.

"Alan, you shouldn't be in here." John said, looking at his brother through the hologram.

"Why not John? He's my Dad too. I have every right to be out there with the rest of them!" He protested, ignoring the headache that was brewing.

"Alan, I know you want to help, but you are too young for this." John replied, trying to defuse his brother's irritability. "Look, it's late and I can see you're tired. Go to bed. We can talk more in the morning. Brains, I sent you the data I could find from Dad's plane. Can you have a look at it?" Alan didn't hear the reply as he stormed out of the den, drowsiness taking over.

Alan hadn't been feeling very well over the last couple of days, but of course, his brothers didn't notice a thing. They were too busy to take any notice of the youngest Tracy. Even Kayo hadn't spent more than 10 minutes in the same room as Alan since Jeff had disappeared. Alan collapsed on the floor of his room, the drowsiness getting the better of him.

When he woke up the next day, the first thing he noticed was the churning of his stomach. He only just made it to the toilet in time to empty the contents of his stomach. When he staggered back into his room, he realised that it was 2 in the afternoon, which meant that his brothers had already left the Island. He staggered to the kitchen, intent on getting something to drink, when he crossed paths with Grandma.

"Alan, look at you!" She exclaimed, placing her hand on his forehead and feeling the fever. "You have a fever! What are you doing out of bed?" She asked, noticing the red blotches on his arms.

"I need a drink. I need to find Dad." He said, his face showing confusion.

"Oh no you're not. You are going back to bed." She said, hoping that Alan wouldn't hear the sounds of Thunderbird 1 landing.

"I need to talk to Scott." He said, breaking free of his Grandma's arms and stumbling to the den, reaching it in time to see Scott step out of his launch tube.

"Brains, can you run a diagnostic on one? I need to be back in the air as soon as I can." Scott said, walking towards the sofa in the den.

"Scott…" Alan started, suddenly feeling light headed as the sounds of Thunderbird 2 landing sounded.

"There's Virgil. I'll go make sure their alright." Scott said, changing direction.

"Scott…" Alan said again, a little louder this time.

"Not now Alan." Scott said, not even turning to look at his brother.

"Scott… Please…" Alan said, only for Scott to spin around.

"I said not now Alan. I have more important things to worry about than your petty arguments." Scott snapped, not seeing the way that Alan flinched as he head began to hurt.

"Scott, don't talk to your brother like that." Grandma snapped, walking into the room.

"Grandma, I need to find Dad, and Alan seems to want to do anything to stop us from finding him!" Scott shouted, not noticing as Gordon and Virgil walked into the room.

"Scott… Virgil…" Alan said, suddenly feeling weak.

"What Alan?" Scott snapped as they all turned to face him, only to see their youngest brother collapse.

"ALAN!" Virgil yelled, running over in time to see Alan's limbs start to shake. "He's having a seizure!" He said as Scott ran over, falling to his knees beside his brother.

"What?" He asked, staring at his brother in shock.

"Gordon, grab a first aid kit. Now!" Virgil ordered as Gordon ran out of the room. "Scott, help me get him on his side." They got the youngest Tracy on his side, trying to keep his limbs in one place as he convulsed. "I need to find out what's wrong with him." Virgil muttered to himself.

"Virgil, look at his arms." Scott said, pointing to the red blotches on his brothers arms. Virgil stared at them for a minute before his eyes widened as he realised what his brothers symptoms added up to.

"Grandma, get me a glass." He said, accepting the one she placed in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Scott asked as Gordon ran back into the room.

"Just hold his arm still for me. Gordon, hold his head and get an oxygen mask on him." Virgil ordered. He rolled the glass over Alan's arm, watching as the blotches stayed a bright red colour. "Shit."

"What? What is it?" Gordon asked as he watched Virgil pull a syringe out of the first aid kit and filled it up.

Virgil didn't say anything as he pushed the needle into Alan's arm and emptying the contents, watching as the seizure slowly stopped and his brother fell limp on the floor. "We need to get him to the infirmary. Now." He ordered, taking the stretcher that Brains fetched. "Help me get him on the stretcher." He ordered. His brothers helped to roll Alan onto the stretcher and the three of them and Brains carried him to the infirmary, where Virgil quickly got his on a bed and hooked him up to an IV.

"What is going on Virgil?" Scott asked, collapsing into the chair next to Alan's bed and holding his hand in a death grip.

"He's got meningitis." Virgil said, grabbing his tablet and getting up Alan's records.

"What does that mean?" Gordon asked, looking at his brother with worry written all over his face.

"It's bacterial, and the spots on his arm means that he had septicaemia." He replied, filling a needle with antibiotics and pushing it into Alan's IV.

"How do you know that?" Scott asked, knowing exactly what that meant.

"The glass test. The spots didn't disappear under pressure. That means it is bacterial meningitis and we caught it late." He said, getting another oxygen mask to replace the one from the first aid kit.

"What does that mean?" Gordon asked again, his voice tight.

"It means that there is a very good chance that Alan could die." Kayo said from where she stood at the door, her expression sullen. "I'm going to go get John in 3. He needs to be here."

"I'll go w-with you." Brains said. The two left the room and the three brothers were quiet until the sounds of Thunderbird 3's launch had vanished.

"What do we do?" Grandma asked as Gordon put his arm around her.

"I'm getting him started on antibiotics and keeping his fluids up. I'm going to keep him hooked up to oxygen. If the antibiotics are effective, I'll only need to keep him here for a week." He replied. They all knew that when Virgil was in what they called 'doctor mode' he use the work and treatments to stay detached and keep a clear head.

"And if they aren't effective?" Scott asked, looking up at his younger brother. No matter how hard Virgil tried, he couldn't keep the pain out of his face and the tears out of his eyes.

"Then Alan may die." He said, turning around and looking at his desk, hiding his tears from his family. The three other Tracy's present looked down at the blonde Tracy, their hearts heavy. After a minute, Scott stood suddenly and stormed out of the infirmary, his face unreadable. Gordon started after him, only to be stopped by his grandmother's hand on his arm.

"Let him go. He needs to blow off some steam." She said, Gordon nodded before sitting in the seat his oldest brother left, looking down at Alan. Neither of the remaining Tracy brothers noticed Grandma walking out of the room, they were too caught up in their own emotions.

"How did we not notice?" He asked himself, not expecting an answer.

"Because we weren't here." Virgil said, not looking up. "We spent so much time and effort looking for Dad that we didn't take any notice of Alan. We neglected him again." He whispered.

"What do you mean again?" Gordon asked, confusion taking over.

"After mum died, we just ignored Alan. We assumed that Dad was with him at night when he cried and that he didn't know what was going on. We thought he was too young to understand." He said. "You wouldn't remember. You were at the pool the day we came home to find our brother lying on the floor, dehydrated and ill. He had gotten chicken pox and none of us noticed. We called an ambulance and Dad. That was when we found out that Dad hadn't even looked at Alan since mum died, and that when Alan was crying at night, or while we were at school, he was alone, with no one there. We neglected him in favour of our greying, and he suffered the consequence."

"Virgil, none of what has happened is your fault." Gordon said. He couldn't remember what had happened after their mother died, but he knew that Virgil believed that he was to blame.

"Yes it was. If I had done my job as a brother, then I would have seen how ill he was getting and I could have helped him. Now there is a chance he might die because I didn't leave Thunderbird 2 for long enough to even look at him." He said, throwing the paper on the desk across the room.

"Virgil, none of us realised how ill he was. We were trying to protect him, we didn't want him to see what state Dad was in if we found him. And in doing so, none of us realised that he was ill. Besides, you know Alan as well as I do. No matter how ill he was, he would never let us see it." Gordon said, putting a hand on Virgil's shoulder. "All you need to focus on now, is helping our brother to get better."

"We can't lose him as well." Virgil whispered.

"We won't. Alan's strong. He isn't going to let something like this take him from us." Gordon replied.

After Grandma left the infirmary, she walked to the silos under the house, knowing that was where he eldest grandson would go. When she got there, she froze in shock at the sight she saw. Scott was inside his bird, breaking everything he could get his hands on, even ripping out some of the panels and throwing them across the silo.

"SCOTT CARPENTER TRACY! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" She shouted, making him turn to face her. His face was a mask of pain and tears were flowing down his cheeks like a river.

"Why should I? Why do we even bother?" He asked, his voice trembling.

"Bother with what?" She asked, stepping into the 'bird cautiously.

"Saving people. We have all this amazing equipment that we use to save strangers, but what is the point in any of it when it doesn't help us find Dad. What's the point when the only thing that these things do is take us away from our brother, our lives?" He shouted, kicking another console. "What is the point in anything?"

"Scott, listen to me, you do so much good with all of this equipment. Without any of this, everyone you have saved would be dead." She said, putting a hand on his shoulder, only for him to shake it off.

"That doesn't help Alan though, does it?" He said, pacing his 'bird. "We tried everything, used everything we have to try and find Dad, not being able to face Alan and say that he isn't coming back, but all that happened is we abandoned our little brother, and now he might die!"

"Don't say that." Grandma snapped. "Do not say that. You cannot stand there and say that you abandoned him. You were trying to find your father, for yourselves and for Alan."

"And look at the good that did!" He snapped, sinking to the floor, his knees bent and his face buried in them. "I'm a failure."

"You are not a failure." She said, kneeling down and putting her arms around him. "You made a mistake, everyone makes them. You are only human. And so are your brothers."

"He tried to tell me. He tried to talk to me. But I just ignored him. I told him that I had more important things to do. What's more important that my brother?" He whispered.

"Scott-" Grandma started, not knowing what to say.

"How could I just walk away from him? After what happened with mum. How could I just abandon him?" He asked. "It's all my fault."

"None of this is your fault." Grandma snapped, finally giving in to the tears. "This is no one's fault. Now you can either sit here and wallow in self-pity, or you can march back to that infirmary and be by your brother's side when he wakes."

"How can I face him now? After I said he didn't matter." He murmured, not lifting his face from his knees.

"You be the brother he needs. Not the one you think he wants." She replied, making him look up in confusion. "You think he needs a hero, someone to bring his father back, but he needs a brother who is there for him when he needs it. One who doesn't push him away." She pulled him to her chest, running a hand through his hair. "Be that brother, and never let anything take you away from the ones you love. It's what's best for Alan, and for you."

"What do you mean?" He asked, tears still falling from his eyes.

"Since your father disappeared, you have been taking stupid, unnecessary risks. Ones that could get you killed. You need to be reminded of what you have here on the Island, waiting for you to come home. What you have to live for." They stayed on the floor of the trashed Thunderbird 1 for a while, before making their way back to the infirmary, to be there for the youngest Tracy when he wakes.

Xxx

 _3 days later_

When Alan woke up, he was disorientated and tired, not knowing what was going on and where he was. He struggled to open his eyes, opting to listen to his surroundings. He could hear a steady beating near his head, along with someone breathing nearby. He could feel the plastic of an oxygen mask on his face and something tugging at his hand. Was he in the infirmary? Sure seemed like it. He tried to remember what had happened, but all he could remember was calling out for Scott.

He finally yanked his eyes open and the first thing he saw, was the needle sticking out of his hand. He started to panic, the beeping speeding up with his heart, as he went to yank it out.

"Alan? Alan, calm down." A voice said as a smooth hand grabbed his to stop him from pulling the needle out. "You need to keep it in. I know you don't like it and I'm sorry." Alan didn't try to recognise the voice, a flash of red hair letting him know exactly who it was. It didn't stop him from fighting though. "Alan! It's me, John! Please just calm down!" When Alan showed no signs of doing so, John decided to call in some help. "VIRGIL! GET IN HERE!" He shouted at the top of his voice. He had been alone in the infirmary, having sent his brothers and Grandma to bed earlier. Virgil's room was closest to the infirmary, so he should be able to hear John's shout.

Alan continued to struggle against his brother, trying desperately to get the needle out of his arm. It was common knowledge that all the Tracy boys, except Virgil, had a phobia of needles, but Alan was definitely the worst out of the 4 of them.

"John? What's going on?" Virgil's slightly sleepy voice asked as he stumbled through the infirmary door, the fight between his 2 brothers waking him up instantly.

"Alan woke up. It's the needle." John said, still trying to calm his little brother down. "Can you sedate him?"

"I'll try." Virgil said, mentally calculating the amount to give him that won't affect the other medications that Alan was currently on, while running to the supply cupboard at the far end of the infirmary.

"Alan, listen to me. You're ill and the needle is giving you the medicines that are making you better. You can't take it out." John said, trying to reason with his little brother. "Please Alan, just calm down and listen to me. If you take that needle out you will get worse again and die." He said. Alan's fighting stopped for a second before he started again. Obviously John had gotten through to him, but in his confused state, all that mattered was getting the needle out. "Hurry up Virgil!"

"I'm sorry Alan." Virgil said as he appeared next to Alan, another needle in his hand. Before Alan could panic anymore, Virgil stuck the needle in the IV line and Alan's movements slowly lessoned, before he was too weak to even hold his head up, slowly slipping out of consciousness. John and Virgil sighed, leaning back and looking at each other. "I knew he would freak out, but I didn't know it would be that bad."

"He's confused. All he could focus on was getting the needle out of his arm." John said, sinking back into the chair he was sat in before Alan woke.

"Are you ok John?" Virgil asked, perching on the other bed in the room.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, frowning at his younger brother.

"Because you are the only one of us not to have a breakdown yet." Virgil replied, smiling at John's confusion. "Gordon and I had a breakdown as soon as I got Alan on the drip. Scott destroyed his 'bird during his breakdown, and I know you saw Grandma throwing everything around the kitchen yesterday. Kayo and Brains have practically filled the pool with the amount of tears they've shed. You are the only one not to have broken down."

"I guess I didn't really get a chance to worry." John replied. "When Kayo suddenly docked on 5 to bring me home, I didn't know how bad it was, and then when I landed, you told me that he was improving. That was when I found out about how bad he had been. I guess, since I didn't see the worst of it, I didn't really panic as much."

"But you had to worry." Virgil said, not understanding how John had managed to stay so calm throughout all of this.

"Of course I've worried. I'm just used to staying detached with my emotions. I have to be clam when we're on rescues and if any of you get injured, there is nothing I can do, so I got used to not worrying and keeping focused." He replied, looking at his youngest brother with a small smile. "I guess I used the same tactic here. I couldn't do anything to help, so I stayed calm and tried not to worry."

"It can't be good to bury your emotions like that." Virgil commented, not knowing how his brother manages to keep a calm head.

"I don't bury it. I turn it into determination and optimism. I need to. I don't have the luxury of letting my emotions get the better of me." He replied, looking down at his brother. Virgil could see that even though John was saying he was fine, his brother was hurting and worried.

"John, you may live on a space station for most of the year, but you're an awful liar." Virgil said, making John frown.

"Ok, I am worried about him still." He replied, still not looking up.

"And?" Virgil pressed, raising his eyebrows.

"I told him to go to bed. I thought he was just tired. It was a symptom of the meningitis, wasn't it?" He asked, looking at Virgil's nod. "He was talking to Brains, asking about you guys and Dad. He said he should be looking for Dad as well. I told him he was too young. When did I stop listening to him? When did I push him away?"

"We all did John. But we didn't do it intentionally. It was an error in judgement." Virgil replied. He walked over to his older brother and put his arm around his shoulders.

"But I was the worst. You guys came home. It wasn't often, but you still came home. This is the first time I have been down here since long before Dad disappeared. I didn't just ignore Alan. I abandoned him. I abandoned all of you." John said, finally giving into the tears that had been just below the surface since he heard Alan was ill. "Why didn't I call him like I did in the beginning? I can't even remember the last time I had a conversation with him, or called him just for the hell of it! When did I stop caring?" Virgil froze, realising that John had been hiding the most pain and guilt.

"You didn't abandon him John. None of us did. We just need to sort out our priorities." Scott said from where he said, standing in the doorway with Gordon. "From now on, Alan comes before anything. Before IR, and even before finding Dad."

"Scott…" Virgil started, knowing how badly Scott wanted to find their father.

"We aren't giving up on Dad, Virgil. We are always going to be searching and looking for information. But it has been a month. We need to focus on what is here and needs us. That is Alan." Scott said as he and Gordon walked into the room and stood around Alan's bed. "We will find Dad, and we will do it as a family. And that includes Alan."

"Thanks Scooter." A voice mumbled, making them look down to see Alan staring, bleary eyed at them.

"How long have you been awake?" Gordon asked, making Virgil frown. The sedatives Virgil gave him were supposed to knock him out for a few hours, not minutes.

"A while. Guess you misjudged the sedative Virg." He replied, making Virgil chuckle.

"Guess I did." He mumbled, grabbing the sedative and reading the info, realising that he gave his brother the weaker dose. "Well, you're defiantly getting better. You should be out of here in a week." He said, making Alan smile.

"I'm sorry I abandoned you sprout. I guess I tried to avoid the homesickness I got whenever I talked to you." John said, smiling at his brother.

"It's ok. You were busy. You all were." Alan replied, making his brothers frown.

"We should never be too busy for you, Alan. You are, and always will be, our first priority." Scott said, hugging his brother.

"I'll hold you to that." Alan said as his other brothers wrapped their arms around him. "I still want the needle out of me Virgil." He stated, making them all laugh. "I'm not kidding!" He snapped, making them laugh even more. Things were improving for the Tracy's, and they all vowed to never leave anyone behind again.


End file.
